"Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?".
This question might be familiar to some of us. Jesus said this when he prayed at the garden of Gethsemane a few hours prior to his arrest but, if Mother Nature could talk, this could also be the sentence she would have uttered last Saturday during Earth Hour.
I was at Aling Tonya's (seafood palutuan) last Saturday with family and friends, happily celebrating my niece's and my nephew's graduation from high school and elementary, respectively. I was in the middle of a battle with a big crab claw, when one of the restaurant employees announced on the microphone that they will turn off the lights during Earth Hour (8:30-9:30 p.m.). Awww, I heard some of the patrons say but they could not really complain because Aling Tonya's had an announcement posted at the entrance of their establishment that they would be participating in this environmental activity.
Thus, the lights were turned off at 8:30p.m. I was a bit apprehensive that we would be completely covered in darkness but this apprehension went away when tea lights were lighted and the place sort of had a romantic ambience to it. In my mind, I said, haha, I can still see the crabs and the shrimps I was planning to eat! And then I ate...
...looking around me and noticing that Aling Tonya's was the only establishment who participated during Earth Hour, at least from where I sat.
Tsk tsk tsk... they could not spare an hour for Mother Earth, I observed. I couldn't believe it...Either you are for or against Mother Earth. By not participating during Earth Hour, were these establishments against Mother Earth? I sure hope not and I don't think so.
Why then didn't they shut off their lights? After all, it was only going to be off for an hour. What were these establishments afraid of? The dark? Surely, there are things more frightening than a darkened room --- like the destruction o of your home planet, for instance. Unfortunately, for these establishments, the call of profits and money come first (perhaps, in their minds, turning off the lights will turn off potential diners)...Mother Nature for them can come last --- she can wait.
The non-participation of the establishments was actually something that I expected --- I was of the view that no commercial and capitalist establishment will willingly participate in Earth Hour. Aling Tonya's proved me wrong.
What was equally noticeable (in addition to the fact that Aling Tonya's was among the very few establishments who participated at Earth Hour) was the fact that, despite the dark/candle-lit ambience, Aling Tonya's was full of diners during Earth Hour, very much unlike its neighbors (despite them being all lit up). Aling Tonya's patrons were very much impressed by Aling Tonya's participation in the Earth Hour activity. These patrons did not care whether it was dark or lighted --- they loved the food that Aling Tonya's prepared, as well as the environmental concern that it showed --- these were what attracted the patrons, not just the lights. Something the other nearby establishments overlooked.
Adherence to the spirit of corporate social responsibility --- manifested by a true concern for one's clients (preparing delicious and affordable seafood preparations) and a genuine love of/for Mother Earth --- is what our planet needs more of. This is also what makes Aling Tonya's -- as well as the experience you'll have when you're there --- truly special.
This question might be familiar to some of us. Jesus said this when he prayed at the garden of Gethsemane a few hours prior to his arrest but, if Mother Nature could talk, this could also be the sentence she would have uttered last Saturday during Earth Hour.
I was at Aling Tonya's (seafood palutuan) last Saturday with family and friends, happily celebrating my niece's and my nephew's graduation from high school and elementary, respectively. I was in the middle of a battle with a big crab claw, when one of the restaurant employees announced on the microphone that they will turn off the lights during Earth Hour (8:30-9:30 p.m.). Awww, I heard some of the patrons say but they could not really complain because Aling Tonya's had an announcement posted at the entrance of their establishment that they would be participating in this environmental activity.
Thus, the lights were turned off at 8:30p.m. I was a bit apprehensive that we would be completely covered in darkness but this apprehension went away when tea lights were lighted and the place sort of had a romantic ambience to it. In my mind, I said, haha, I can still see the crabs and the shrimps I was planning to eat! And then I ate...
...looking around me and noticing that Aling Tonya's was the only establishment who participated during Earth Hour, at least from where I sat.
Tsk tsk tsk... they could not spare an hour for Mother Earth, I observed. I couldn't believe it...Either you are for or against Mother Earth. By not participating during Earth Hour, were these establishments against Mother Earth? I sure hope not and I don't think so.
Why then didn't they shut off their lights? After all, it was only going to be off for an hour. What were these establishments afraid of? The dark? Surely, there are things more frightening than a darkened room --- like the destruction o of your home planet, for instance. Unfortunately, for these establishments, the call of profits and money come first (perhaps, in their minds, turning off the lights will turn off potential diners)...Mother Nature for them can come last --- she can wait.
The non-participation of the establishments was actually something that I expected --- I was of the view that no commercial and capitalist establishment will willingly participate in Earth Hour. Aling Tonya's proved me wrong.
What was equally noticeable (in addition to the fact that Aling Tonya's was among the very few establishments who participated at Earth Hour) was the fact that, despite the dark/candle-lit ambience, Aling Tonya's was full of diners during Earth Hour, very much unlike its neighbors (despite them being all lit up). Aling Tonya's patrons were very much impressed by Aling Tonya's participation in the Earth Hour activity. These patrons did not care whether it was dark or lighted --- they loved the food that Aling Tonya's prepared, as well as the environmental concern that it showed --- these were what attracted the patrons, not just the lights. Something the other nearby establishments overlooked.
Adherence to the spirit of corporate social responsibility --- manifested by a true concern for one's clients (preparing delicious and affordable seafood preparations) and a genuine love of/for Mother Earth --- is what our planet needs more of. This is also what makes Aling Tonya's -- as well as the experience you'll have when you're there --- truly special.
